We do garage door repairs on all makes and models of doors including Garador, Hormann, Cardale Henderson, King, SWS and many more. Call us now with your enquiry.

Up & Over Garage Door Repairs

Up & over door are the most common type of garage door and also the most common type to fail. The most frequent thing to break on an up & over door is the cables. We’re regularly replacing cables on up and over doors and we make them up from a reel specifically to suit your door. Other common parts that need replacing or repairing are springs, rollers and handles. We carry many parts for these doors on our vans so can often repair same day.

Roller Garage Door Repairs

When roller garage doors go wrong often they’re not operational at all which can be a real pain. One of the most common faults is that the locking springs break. These are the components that join the door curtain to the axle. We carry locking springs in stock that fit the doors of most manufactures to get you back up and running as soon as possible. Roller doors can also suffer from problems with the automation. Issues with the safety edges are not uncommon, if your door stops on the way down this could well be the problem. If your door is struggling to open this is most likely a motor issue. If this is the case do not use the door and phone us immediately. Roller doors with damaged motors are extremely dangerous and can come crashing down. If you are to continue to use the door the motor should be replaced ASAP.

Sectional Garage Door Repairs

Sectional doors are generally very reliable but when they do go wrong it’s generally a broken spring. We don’t carry these in stock but the correct part can often be identified from the label on the back of your door before we come to site.

Garage Door Repairs In…

We keep our garage door repairs service fairy local in order to give prompt action. The areas we cover for repairs are: Lancaster & Morecambe, Blackpool & Fylde, Kendal & South Lakes and Preston.

I am always on the lookout for new products that will excite our customers and help people to realise that a garage door doesn’t have to be just a boring functional thing. In reality garage doors can be an integral part of the architecture of a building and a major contributor to the design. It is difficult to say whether there are just so many same old, same old designs on the market because it is what people want or because that is all they think is available. One company that challenges this mindset is Belgian manufacturer L-Door.

L-Door is a sectional door manufacturer and 5 years ago they set up their Cre8tive department. What they do there is quite unique. They take their sectional doors and clad them with an array of various materials specific to the client requirements. This may be timber façade doors in the case of Nature Line STL. It can be panel cladding from major manufacturers such as Trespa or Rockpanel, or glass, in the case of Puma Line STX. My personnel favourite is the Puma Line STL which is clad with Renson blades, this door is simply stunning and challenges all traditional ideas of how a garage door should look. See for yourself in the video below.

[blockquote]Just over-cladding a sectional door though is nothing new, what makes L-Door so special is they design and deliver the whole façade system[/blockquote]Just over-cladding a sectional door is nothing new. What makes L-Door so special is that they design and deliver the whole façade system. This can include not just the garage door and fixed panels but also windows and entrance doors. Façade doors from other manufactures are usually designed to be clad onsite. Whilst this can work, and is undoubtedly a cheaper option, often errors are made. When order a façade system from L-Door for you, everything is planned and calculated down to the last millimetre. What this means for you, as the client, is that when we come to site we are assembling and installing. Not manufacturing. This significantly improves the quality of the finished job and the time we require on-site.

A trip to see the façade doors in the flesh

Before we take on a new product I always like to visit the manufacturing facility myself. Seeing the doors on the factory floor you really get a feel for the engineering and quality control of a product product. True to the Belgian stereotype the quality and the care that goes into the L-Door product is top notch. Even before it gets to the manufacturing stage, they ensure that the whole install has been designed, 3D rendered and scrutinised, by a dedicated team. I am trying not to sound too gushing here but, the care that is taken to make sure every Cre8tive order is right from the start is another step up from most manufacturers.

We are the first UK supplier of L-Door façade doors and are delighted to be so. L-Door doors give us something unique to offer our customers with the opportunity to enhance the design of their property.

If you’d like to know more about L-Door façade doors then just contact us. We would be delighted to work with you on your special project.

It may therefore be important that garage side doors, sometimes referred to as the personnel doors, be convenient and easily operable.

Garage Side Doors Types

Historically, garage side doors have been timber; framed ledged and braced softwood. Usually they were outward opening so that the door could not protrude into the garage. This way of hanging it exacerbated the problems of a with a door of this construction. It was susceptible to the weather. Swelling and jamming in the winter and shrinking, warping and cracking in the summer. Many garage door manufacturers now produce matching garage side doors for their garage doors. These are mainly steel but may be hardwood to match similar garage doors. The steel versions may be single skin to match the up and over garage doors and insulated to match the insulated garage doors. Novoferm now do a hinged  side door to match their Novorol insulated garage door.

Garage Side Doors Security

Without realising, many people accumulate a lot of items in their garages over the years. Bicycles, powered lawn mowers, other power tools and hand tools are just a few of the items regularly found in garages. The security of the garage is often not considered. Thieves know this and often target garages which are an easy option. The garage side doors can be the vunerable point of the garage. Many of the garage side doors available now, especially the steel ones, have strong locking options. If this is not enough, Lakes Garage Doors can supply and install a purpose made steel security side door.

Call us today and talk to us about your requirements. We are happy to give you a free no obligation quotation for a door of your choice.

Affordability of Metal Garage Doors

Wooden garage doors are more aesthetically varied than metal garage doors so, they tend to cost a little more money. Although their luxuriant visuals are undoubtedly very pleasing, the reduced cost of a metal door attracts a lot of buyers. That’s not to say that metal doors look ugly, because they certainly need not. You can still save money and make a strong statement with a metal garage door. They really can be exceptional all-rounders if you are on a on a budget.

Strength of Metal Garage Doors

Metal is by its very nature extremely tough and hard-wearing. It can achieve these properties with sheets of material that are both thin and lightweight. Whilst other types of garage door can boast similar properties, they often have to be far heavier and more solid to be so. They can be difficult and cumbersome to operate in comparison with thinner, more elegant metal garage doors.

Ease of Maintenance of Metal Garage Doors

Some types of garage door – such as wood – may look beautiful, but require a lot of care and attention to preserve them . Metal garage doors, on the other hand, are extremely low maintenance. Most do not need to be sanded, stained or repainted. A quick clean with a hosepipe or power washer will soon have them looking as-new again. If you’re the sort of person who wants a stylish home but doesn’t want large maintenance commitments, then metal should be your perfect garage door material.

Variations

Metal garage doors have a lot going for them. Of course there isn’t just one type of metal on the market; metal is one of the most varied materials on the planet after all. In terms of garage doors though, your choice will usually come down to aluminium or steel. Here is a brief overview of these two materials:

Steel

Steel is the most common metal for garage doors to be made from. It is very strong, and yet can still be shaped into a variety of pressed surfaces and finishes. It is malleable. Even large doors can be manufactured fairly cheaply from steel. This accessibility also brings very high standards of security with it as well. Here at Lakes Garage Doors, a vast range of our garage doors utilise steel within their forms, including many in our Garador range. Because of its adaptability, steel can be found within almost all of our garage door collection. If you want a steel garage door then you really are going to be spoiled for choice.

Aluminium

Aluminium garage doors are superbly light and are very popular for this reason alone. However, aluminium is also rust proof and resistant to corrosion, so they are low maintenance even for metal garage doors. In fact, they are so convenient and secure that we actually sell a lot of aluminium front doors in addition to garage products, so you can match the doors on your garage and your home to achieve a smart, uniform look. Because aluminium garage doors (or indeed front doors) are also thermally efficient, you’ll find that they will remain dependable year after year after year.

Find Out More

If you’d like to find out more, please be sure to browse through our aluminium doors buyer’s guide and don’t hesitate to contact our friendly and professional team by calling 01995 498005.

Craftsmanship

Using mainly wood for their unique doors, they have kept the same design rules from the start. Hence, they have built their reputation around it. The art of the craftsman and their skills have slowly started to die out throughout the joinery trade. So, Silvelox have not allowed this to happen. All of the doors are hand finished, using traditional techniques. Therefore, this gives our customers the highest quality product. Silvelox pride themselves on this quality and are devoted to innovation, using the traditional with modern technologies.

Design

Silvelox design and make a wide range of interior and exterior doors. Furthermore, each door is a bespoke design for every customer. Whatever door is needed, it is practical, has high security, insulation and is a beautiful design. The Company hold ‘vision’ and ‘passion’ as their main ideals. This alongside a need for style and attention to detail. Therefore, Silvelox Doors are always improving and expanding their product ranges. Research and development is ongoing. Consequently, the Silvelox door is always improving.

Silvelox front doors

Silvelox offer a wide range of front doors designed to client specific needs. This is because our customers can specify items such as style, colour and materials. Other options include the levels of insulation and security. By involving you, our customers, in the design process, we can ensure that you will receive a door that meets your requirements.

Silvelox garage doors

Silvelox Doors offer a variety of unusual garage doors designs to suit customer homes perfectly. Silvelox garage doors provide stunning design and eye-catching style in a practical, high security product. Up-to-date security options can be added and changed allowing customers exactly what they require from a garage door. Silvelox provide a variety of designs, such as overlap and trackless. For more information on the Silvelox trackless garage door please view our previous blog post here.

Silvelox Doors from Lakes Garage Doors

Lakes Garage Doors are suppliers of high quality products for every home including Silvelox. For any information on any of our products, please get in touch with our friendly team or view our full Silvelox range online.

Cedar garage doors 

Trackless garage doors are available in cedar. Cedar is definitely the most popular and common material used for wooden garage doors. Its rich and ‘multi-tonal’ quality makes it excellent for this. It is also extremely lightweight, highly resistant to rot and doesn’t tend to expand or contract. A disadvantage of cedar, however, is that it is a very soft wood. This can often result in damage from the user, it is easily marked or scratched especially when used manually.

Oak garage door

Oak is a very popular timber choice today. It was inevitable that it would become fashionable for other exterior doors. Oak is a heavy, hard and expensive wood so not favoured by garage door manufacturers. However, oak doors are available in bespoke up and over style doors and in the trackless Silvelox Overlap range.

The Silvelox range offer the option of Cedar and Oak throughout the collection as well other timbers. Silvelox specialise in being the world’s first trackless garage door. The Overlap trackless works without tracks or springs and instead uses a double counterweight system to give a smoother, automatic operation.

How does a trackless sectional door work? The top section opens to sit horizontally, the bottom section then slides back below the top one to sit horizontally underneath it.

Silvelox Overlap ARA

Silvelox Overlap ARA is a sectional garage door made from 75mm thick eco-wood panels.

Available in 6 different timber finishes, and in a range of stains and 15 standard paint colours as well as a much larger collection of non-standard colours.

Silvelox Overlap doors are one of the most thermally efficient garage doors on the market. Approximately 1/3 better than traditional sectional garage doors.

Handles can be added in a variety of styles and shapes to suit customer tastes and designs.

All Silvelox garage doors are also available in matching front door designs.

For more information regarding any of the products in our ranges please get in touch. Our friendly team can help. Or, view our full range of trackless garage doors online.

Security

Groke doors specialise in secure aluminium doors. Standard package doors come with the following security features:

• Anti drill locks
• Hinge locks
• 3 point locking

Additional security components can be added upon request, such as:

• Automated locking – operated by a handset similar to automated garage door systems
• Self locking – locks when closed so you will never worry you have left the door open again
• Biometric locking systems – TOCA finger print locking system accepts up to 99 finger prints

Insulation

Insulation is an extremely important factor to consider when choosing your front door. Groke aluminium doors are manufactured from a hot-insulated aluminium profile. This ensures that the door is extremely strong, rigid and has a high point of insulation. When thinking about a front door, it is a good idea to consider choosing a level of insulation. The extra cost will be cost effective over time with lower utility bill costs. Groke doors are dedicated to providing home owners with aluminium doors which offer comfort. They value heat maintenance and make it possible to choose from 3 different levels of insulation to meet your individual requirements.

Style

Every home is different; homes vary in style, decor and appearance. Groke doors specialise in being versatile to customer needs. They come in various styles and colours. You may want a modern aluminium door such as the Groke 12541 which is simplistic in design and appearance with a statement glass stripe down the centre. There are 7 colours to choose from and a wide range of glazing possibilities. Customising is fun and easy. Other door style options available from the wide range of products feature timeless, classic or traditional designs.

For more information on any of our products or to talk to our friendly sales team to discuss your new front door. Please call us on 0800 1955690 or view our other ranges online.

The exterior style of your home is very important; it makes a statement to your visitors before they even reach the doorstep. Traditional vs. Modern; choosing the right style is a matter of balancing your practical requirements with your desired aesthetic to create something that is both beautiful and functional.

Traditional

If you’re looking for a traditional aesthetic then you will most likely be looking for a wooden garage door. Timber has been used in architecture for countless centuries. It provides not only a sturdy and secure finish but an attractive one as well. The exact timber you choose will also make a difference; oak garage doors are particularly popular for a really traditional look. The weight of oak means that they are generally not made of solid timber, instead using a thin top layer like a veneer.

Traditional Side Hinged

The most traditional form of garage door is a side hinged one; if you want to use a heavy timber like oak. This is more practical than a door which opens vertically. However, they are generally more suited to garages which are to be used for general storage or as a workshop, as opposed to one for keeping your car in. It is easy to open one side to pop in and fetch something. However, it is a little more cumbersome to open both leaves to drive in and out.

If you want the appearance of side hinged doors but with the practicality of a modern sectional garage door, you can choose something like the GDS Coach House. This is pictured below. Made in white as standard, it is also available with the unique wind-o-wood handcrafted finish for the appearance of oak or mahogany.

Modern

Modern aesthetics are far more flexible – depending on your tastes. You might still prefer timber, or you may prefer a metal finish. If bright colours are your style, then many of our garage doors can be finished in your choice of any RAL colour. This gives you numerous options.

Practical Modern Doors

A modern aesthetic lends itself to a range of flexible options. Sectional garage doors and roller garage doors are particularly popular. They lend themselves to automation. They do not require room in front to open and do not take up too much of the interior space. These types of garage door are particularly useful for parking vehicles. However, if you use your garage for general storage you may wish to have a side door for popping in and out. This will prevent displaying the contents of your garage to passers-by.

A range of striking patterns and designs can be added to modern garage doors to create a fantastic first impression. One such door is the Novoferm ISO 45 Paris, pictured below.

For more information on any of our products, traditional vs. modern, or to talk to our friendly sales team about creating the perfect garage door for your home, simply call us on 0800 1955690.

Here at Lakes Garage Doors, we can supply you with a variety of timber for your garage doors. Here are some details about two of the woods that we find to be popular:

Idigbo

Idigbo is a type of wood that comes from such localities as Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Pale yellow in colouration and very light, it possesses very durable heartwood. It is a regular fixture within the realm of high class joinery. Idigbo is easy to work with and finishes well. In fact, when it is finished in a certain fashion, Idigbo strongly resembles oak. As well as being exotic wooden garage doors, they can also be called upon as a cost effective alternatives to oak. The Idigbo timber that is used within our garage doors is naturally resistant to moisture. It makes an ideal choice for an installation that is going to be exposed to the elements. The fact that it remains light also makes it perfect for styles like up and over garage doors.

Okoume

Okoume is a wood that is native to West Africa, and this hardwood is taken from a medium-sized tree that rarely grows larger than 40 metres in height. It is a rich reddish-brown, and also comes totally free of knots; many people greatly appreciate its smooth and unblemished surface. Certain varieties, (especially sapwoods), are also available in light greys and even pink hues.  Just because two people have an Okoume garage door certainly need not have twin doors with regards to appearance. Despite its fresh aesthetics, Okoume can also be depended upon to last, as it is actually very durable, in spite of being fairly soft, and this latter property means that it is superbly easy to work with, meaning that we utilise it in our trackless garage doors. This wood can be can make truly exotic wooden garage doors

Timber may be timeless, but to equate that with ‘boring’ would be nothing but a mistake. If you’re looking for a reliable supplier of exotic timber garage doors, but also want something a little out of the ordinary, then be sure to give Lakes Garage Doors a call on 0800 1955690.

Here at Lakes Doors we are renowned for our range of garage doors that include sectional garage doors and roller garage doors. However, we have also earned an excellent reputation for providing quality timber front doors. Over the years, we have acquired many tips from the trade in order for you to get the most out of your timber front door, which is what we will be looking at in this blog.

Cleaning your timber front door

Your exterior timber front door will inevitably suffer from wear and tear because of the harsh British elements. The rise and drop of the temperature can cause a neglected door to look tired and worn out. It is important that you clean your door regularly with soapy water and a damp cloth.  However, only use mild soap to avoid damage to the finish.  If you find that the soapy water has not done a thorough job, use a specialist cleaner for timber before polishing it. A good quality wax furniture polish will do for this.

Sanding and Weather Stripping

Most important is to sand and recoat the protective finish of your door every few years in order to keep it looking new. The timing of this is dependant on how exposed the timber front door is to the weather. Also bear in mind the timber trim around your door will require maintenance. It is advisable to avoid harsh cleansers, which can harm timber front doors and trim.

Swollen Wood

If your door is very old then it may have expanded over time. Normally, this expansion is down to moisture and water damage due to a breakdown of the surface coating. You can tell that your door is swollen if it is catching on the frame. For the DIY enthusiast you can trim the swollen wood off the door, or call upon a carpenter.

Front Door Lock

Well-maintained door locks will save you money because you will not have to pay for repairs. It’s simple and easy to maintain your lock as most multipurpose lubrication will get the job done. All you have to do is insert the straw (which is usually provided) into the lock, and spray the lubricant.

If you feel that basic maintenance won’t restore your front door then you should consider a replacement timber front door from us at Lakes Doors, which will stand the test of time. We have a range of Silvelox front doors that are made from multi-layer okoume timber hardwood. Other timbers such as oak, walnut and spruce are also available. These doors are high in quality and surprisingly low in price so call us on 01524 220030 to find out more.